Solicitation FAQs

• What is solicitation?

  Solicitation is any act or event conducted for the purpose of financial or commercial gain for the vendor, individual(s) or organization(s).

• What type of solicitation is prohibited?

  Solicitation that violates or impairs any existing university contract. The university has contracts with the following vendors to exclusively provide products/services. Competitive products/businesses are prohibited from being promoted or used in conjunction with a solicitation on campus.

  i. Coca-Cola for beverage products.
  ii. Barnes & Noble for UCF licensed merchandise and book/school supplies found in a college bookstore.

  Refer to regulation 4.010 for additional restrictions.

• Can I solicit in Free Assembly Areas?

  No. Free Assembly areas are for free expression and the open sharing of thoughts and ideas.

• What are the solicitation rules for RSOs/Fraternities & Sororities/University recognized and supported honor societies and professional fraternal societies/academic courses?

  The Solicitation must not conflict with the prohibited restrictions  violate the Solicitation regulation 4.010. (If beverages will be provided, it must be Coke products except for unbranded hot tea/coffee.)

  Proceeds must benefit the RSO, Fraternity or Sorority; or in the case of academic courses, Fraternities, and Sororities, their official philanthropic designee.

  The activity must be within or directly outside of a building and the group must receive permission from the building coordinator. A list of building coordinators can be found at: http://fo.ucf.edu/resources

  Contact the Student Union (http://studentunion.ucf.edu/ 407-823-3677) to conduct the activity inside or around the Student Union or to participate in Student Union Market Day.

  A representative from the university organization must be present for the full duration of the event.

  If a donation is required for the exchange of a product/service/chance to win/participation, this is considered a sale and the fundraiser would be responsible for remitting sales tax directly to the Florida Department of Revenue. The use of “suggested donation” language, meaning someone is not required to make a donation, would not require the remittance of sales tax.

  If the solicitation is open to the public and involves food, it must be commercially packaged and found in the dry goods section of a grocery store or fruits in which the skins are not eaten, examples include chips, soda, oranges and bananas. No cooking on campus at the solicitation is permitted. Additionally the use of “potentially hazardous foods” is not permitted unless the event is catered by a university approved caterer and they are handling the food at all times. Refer to (provide web link here) for a list of university approved caterers.

  Per Chapter 64E-11 in the Florida Administrative Code, “potentially hazardous foods” is defined as any perishable food which consists in whole or in part of milk or milk products, eggs, meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, edible crustacea, or other ingredients, including synthetic ingredients, in a form:

  Capable of supporting rapid and progressive growth of infectious or toxigenic microorganisms; or capable of supporting the slower growth of Clostridium botulinum.

  The term “potentially hazardous food” does not include foods which have a pH level of 4.6 or below or a water activity (Aw) value of 0.85 or less, or air-cooled hard-boiled eggs with the shell intact.

• What about solicitation rules for other individuals and non-university organizations; e.g. unregistered student organizations, businesses, etc.

  If you desire to conduct a solicitation or promotion on campus, please contact the Student Union (http://studentunion.ucf.edu/ 407-823-3677) about participating in their Market Day events on Wednesdays.

  Refer to the prohibited solicitation sections above and regulation 4.010 for additional restrictions.